Architectural disruption in aerospace
Name
609412585-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
13.45 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
185ec93a673bb67a38f2a5e802f99ed9
Author(s)
Ashworth, Geoffrey (Geoffrey John)
Advisor(s)
Michael A M Davies.
Date Issued
2009
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Distinctive technology and customer / supplier relationships are currently the primary sources of competitive advantage in the Aerospace industry. Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) requirements represent a significant disruption to this mode of competition. The United States Department of Defense intends to accelerate the rate of aerospace innovation and inject additional competitiveness into the procurement process through the modularization of its products and effective intellectual property management. This combination of architectural disruption and new customer capabilities has the potential to reduce the industry's opportunity to capture value from innovative technologies or a position as first supplier. Historical examples such as Polaroid and IBM demonstrate the organizational paralysis that often results from disruptions in product architecture. The competitive formula becomes ingrained in the processes, resources, and culture of mature companies and is no longer explicit knowledge, which limits the company's ability to develop the capabilities required to compete in its new environment. Competing in a MOSA environment will require the development of new organizational capabilities such as rapid experimentation, fighting standards wars, and protecting system-level knowledge. Defining the disruptive threat and the foundations of current core competencies will enable firms to develop the organizational capabilities essential for this shift in competitive context.
(cont.) The author will present several historical examples of architectural disruption, a framework for evaluating the disruptive change, and an identification of organizational anchors that may hinder a particular competitor's ability to respond to MOSA. The goal of the thesis is to start a dialogue within an identified incumbent with in hopes of beginning the organizational transformation required to effectively compete in this new era.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-71).
Subjects
System Design and Management Program.
MIT Department
System Design and Management Program.
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
